Kai Davis teaches Freelancers and Consultants marketing habits that fill their pipeline with warm leads. Here’s what Kristine K. has to say about Kai’s advice: “Kai, you gave me a piece of advice last year that made those “famine” times almost non-existent, and I wanted to tell you THANK YOU! You told me to revisit my former client list and touch base with them and once I started doing this, I got so busy I almost couldn’t keep up. I really appreciate it.”

In this episode of Marketing the Invisible, Kai shares how he teaches independent consultants and freelancers how to get more leads for their business by implementing marketing habits.

Check out these episode highlights:

00:32 – Kai’s professional background as the world leader in marketing education for consultants and freelancers

02:00 – His ideal clients: an independent freelancer or consultant who’s wondering how to grow their business and keep their pipeline full of warm leads

02:13 – The ‘feast and famine’ problems he helps solve for his freelancer and consultant clients

02:38 – The symptoms his clients experience when trying to solve their leads problems

03:25 – the common mistakes that people try in an attempt to solve the death of consistent new client flows problem

05:29 – Kai’s Valuable Free Action (VFA): Make a list of your past clients in Excel or Google Sheets include their name, company name, and e-mail. And then every week pick one, two or three clients and send them a short touching base e-mail.

08:03 – Q: What’s one simple market research habit that listeners should use to learn more about their clients what they worry about, what keeps them up at night, and what they’re spending their budgets on? A: You should have a coffee date with them and ask them.

Transcript (Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)

Tom Poland: Hello everyone. A very warm welcome to another edition of marketing the invisible. My name is Tom Poland beaming out to you from on the sand Little Castaways Beach next to the waves here. Joined today by Kai Davis all the way from where you’re being again from, man?

Kai Davis: I’m beaming in from Eugene, Oregon and thank you so much for having me on the show.

Tom Poland: Oh I know it’s going to be a pleasure. I mean we’ve already been rapping for like 10 minutes or so. We did have a conversation after about 90 seconds. Folks, I don’t if you see the sign behind Kai. So that I thought, “Yeah this is going to be fun.” So Kai, his bio I would almost guarantee you have never ever heard or read a bio like this. This is a pure marketing genius. So listen up. Kai Davis teaches freelancers and consultants marketing habits that fill their pipeline with warm leads. Pretty good start. But wait there’s more. Gets better. Here’s what Khristine K. has to say about Kai’s advice.”Kai, you gave me a piece of advice last year that made those famine times almost nonexistent. And I wanted to tell you to thank you. You told me to revisit my former client list and touch base with them. And once I started doing this I got so busy I almost couldn’t keep up. I really appreciate it.” So that’s clever because it’s also themed with the subject of this interview which is “Raise your clients from the dead.” We’re gonna do that in just seven minutes. But first of all what did you say you’re from?

Kai Davis: Originally from Walton, Oregon and then moved to Eugene, Oregon when I was 2 years older now or so.

Tom Poland: And this is the point where I say isn’t that the home of Nike?

Kai Davis: And It is.

Tom Poland: And you say yeah like I told you that seven minutes ago, Tom. Okay. Let’s rock n roll. So as I said the title is How to Raise your Clients from the dead We’re going to do that in just seven minutes. Now seven minutes is starting now. Kai, question one who is your ideal client?

Kai Davis: My ideal client is an independent freelancer or consultant who’s wondering how to grow their business and keep their pipeline full of warm leads.

Kai Davis: The problem I solve is freelancers and consultants often experience you know the feast or famine moment. They aren’t keeping in touch with the past clients they aren’t nurturing marketing habits to keep their pipeline full. And so I help freelancers consultants develop those fundamental marketing habits to escape that feast or famine cycle. And build and grow their business with new and better clients.

Tom Poland: Question number three six minutes left. What are the typical symptoms that people are going to experience with that problem?

Kai Davis: I’d rattle off a couple here. Not knowing who they’re trying to reach their marketing. That’s the largest one. A lack of quality inbound leads, a lack of quality leads overall. A lack of referrals for their business. A major overreliance on a word of mouth and air quotes they get clients. Often taking on clients that aren’t a fit for the business and sort of picking the wrong direction. And a constant feeling of worry. You know something’s wrong or something’s off in your business but you don’t know what it is or what steps to take to fix it.

Tom Poland: Do you find that the other symptom is that their marketing is inconsistent?

Kai Davis: That’s actually going to be the next one I was going to dive into. I sort of see all the things marketing approach where people say I’m not getting enough leads to let’s throw everything against the wall and see what happens. But we’ll get to that in a moment.

Tom Poland:So that’s question number four and sorry for stealing your thunder there. but the Question number four is people experiencing this dearth of consistent new client flows, they’re going to wake up probably feeling stressed and anxious. As you’ve alluded to and to try a bunch of different things that actually probably aren’t going to work on forcefully initially before they find you. What are some of those common mistakes that people make? Five minutes left. That’s a question number four.

Kai Davis: Absolutely so broadly speaking, I think there are two major mistakes people make. They either the Other decide the status quo is fine and they’re just going to live with it. I mean if you’re comfortable the status quo stay with the status quo don’t push yourself unnecessarily but if you want some change. I often see people fall into bucket number two which is ‘all the things syndrome’ where they feel that to market themselves and market their business they need to throw all the fads, all the habits, all the things they can against the wall when really the most important thing is to develop a singular habit focused on one thing. Focus on consistently doing that thing and once you have that thing down, add a second thing, and add a third thing, and maybe one doesn’t work but over time you’re slowly adding new habits in making sure you’re continually marketing yourself.

Tom Poland: Can we do a screen kiss at this point? Because I really want to kiss you because I think that’s that pearls of wisdom pearls of wisdom. I hope folks you replay that last part. And the reason I think it’s a pure genius is it’s the same as what I teach.

Tom Poland: That is so true. I mean people say well maybe I expand my range of services. Maybe expand my marketplace. Maybe I try lots of different lead generation stuff you know and it’s like a big one. Okay. But we talked about the inconsistency of marketing efforts of random acts of marketing or I call a ‘meerkat marketing’. You know meerkats sort of pop up and have a look around and pop down again never see them. So three and a half minutes left we are under question number five what’s one valuable free action that an audience member could take. That’s going to move them a step closer to solving the problem of an empty pipeline? May not solve the whole thing. But just one step closer.

Kai Davis: Recommend most often is raising your clients raising your past clients from the dead. Seeing it there and seeing if you could use these magical necromantic powers that I’m about to teach you. So it’s really, really simple when you get down to it make a list of your past clients Excel or Google Sheets is perfect for that. Include their name company name and e-mail. And then every week pick one or two or three clients to send them a short touching base e-mail. Ask how business is going, ask what they’re excited about in the New Year. Ask what worked or didn’t work in the past year. Ask if they need any help and what you’ll see is by building the slow small consistent habit. You’re constantly nurturing these connections and more and more projects and referrals will come out of the woodwork just by taking the small habit out. Hey, every week I mean you know one, two, or three people and that’s enough. But it needs to happen consistently.

Tom Poland: So question subsection paragraph 3.2a And others bonus question would you actually recommend that folks include something like a link to an article it might be interesting to some sort of added value thing? Or is it better just to have a simply reach out? Hey Tom, how’s the track and just thinking the other day and just thought I’d see how are you doing?

Kai Davis: That is an A-plus question. I think the most important thing is to get started and not put up barriers. And so I recommend as a best practice like I call it value added follow up include an article or resource, a link to something it might be something you made or somebody else made. But too often that becomes a barrier early on I gotta make this thing or find this thing or better persuade file. I’ll set it aside then. The most important action, sending that e-mail to the past client. Over time you can optimize it. And optimize or follow up but don’t let that be a barrier. Get in a habit of touching base sending those e-mails first.

Tom Poland: A little wisdom on that I think all too often it’s like Ready Aim, aim, aim. just pull of frickin trigger.

Kai Davis: What’s the worst that could happen? Honestly. They don’t reply. Like I’m delighted when I get a response back. That’s like no we don’t want to work together OK. Why what’s the objection. I’m delighted when I get a response back that’s a yes. Okay great. Let’s move forward. What I hate is no reply because I have no information to move forward with.

Tom Poland: Hmm. Yeah. Moving forward. Important. Question number seven. From all your years of experience, what’s the best most valuable free tip that you can give folk?

Kai Davis: The best most valuable tip or add the valuable free resource?

Tom Poland: Yeah that’ll do. Yeah.

Kai Davis: The valuable free resource I direct people to would be my daily letters at Kai Davis.com. You’re able to sign up for my daily letter on marketing yourself as a freelancer or a consultant. And so every weekday you get a new letter for me direct to your inbox with a piece of advice to help you grow your business, get more clients, or feel more competent and successful as a freelancer or consultant.

Tom Poland: The link will be below the interview on various platforms. But if you’re listening on the podcast kaidavis.com/letters. 35 seconds left. Bonus question Kai because you’re being so efficient and effective. What’s the one question I should have asked you but didn’t?

Kai Davis: What’s one simple market research habit that listeners should use to learn more about their clients what they worry about, what keeps them up at night, and what they’re spending their budgets on.

Tom Poland: And the answer to that question is in less than 15 seconds.

Kai Davis: You should have a coffee date with them and ask them.

Tom Poland: Fantastic. Kai Davis, thank you so much. You have knocked that out of the ballpark.

Kai Davis: Thank you so much for having me on my friend.

Tom Poland: Cheers everyone.

Tom Poland: Thanks for checking out our Marketing the Invisible Podcast if you like what we’re doing here. Please head over to iTunes to subscribe, rate us and leave us a review. It’s very much appreciated. And if you want to generate five fresh leads in just five hours then check out www,FiveHourChallenge.com.

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MEET YOUR HOST

Tom Poland is the creator of The Five Hour Lead Generation Challenge found at www.FiveHourChallenge.com and the proprietary Leadsology® Model.

He works with professionals to embed lead generation systems into their businesses so they enjoy a weekly flow of new client inquiries.

Tom started his first advisory business at age 24 and has gone on to start and sell four others, taking two of them international. In that time, he’s managed teams of over 100 people and annual revenue of more than $20 million.

He is a multiple best-selling author and also shared international speaking platforms with the likes of Michael Gerber of E-Myth fame, Richard Koch from The 80–20 Principle, Marshall Goldsmith and many others.

Tom is voluntarily married and lives on the sand at Castaways Beach on the fabulous Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia.